Brookshire tests in-store Pizza Hut kiosks

Dive Brief:

Brookshire Grocery Co. has added Pizza Hut kiosks to two of its store locations in Tyler, Texas, according to local reports. One location is a Brookshire's store on East Fifth Street, the other a Super 1 Foods store located on Troup Highway.
The kiosks will offer hot and ready items including personal pizzas, hot wings, Hershey’s chocolate chip cookies and parmesan pretzel bites.
The first two locations are a pilot to determine whether expansion into other Brookshire stores in Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana is feasible

Dive Insight:

In a statement, Brookshire chairman and CEO Brad Brookshire noted his company is the first retail grocery chain to test Pizza Hut kiosks. The restaurant brand has also offered Pizza Hut Express locations inside Target stores.

The Texas grocer hopes the move will boost store traffic and create added value for existing customers. Pizza has proven to be a durable offering with other retailers, as well. Kroger partnered with Rapid Fired Pizza this year with plans to open 10 units inside Kroger delis in Ohio. The chain offers build-your-own pizzas, pastas and calzones. It also added take-and-bake pizza options for its Kroger outposts.

In lieu of partnering with an existing pizza chain, grocery retailer Winco is dishing up in-house pizzas made with a secret sauce, fresh veggies and scratch-made crust. It offers pizza-by-the-slice from a hot case, which is one of its best-selling items. Although not every Winco location has a full-service pizza department, other locations offer pizza hot cases in the deli departments that feature fresh pizza during certain times of the day.

Meantime, Pizza Hut is also testing self-service pickup cubbies in partnership with Brightloom at a Hollywood, California, location with plans to test in other West Coast cities in 2020. The offering is meant to target consumers who are short on time or who simply aren't in the mood to engage with store employees. The tech-centric offering may also appeal to consumers' growing appreciation for cutting-edge technology offerings.